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One thing people should take into account is people who are happy with their cars usually never say anything ... only people with problems or concern post them ..
-As bad as the galant may seem to anyone , it surely beats any of the ford,chrysler,GM stuff.
Question: I need to get my second oil change/tire rotation before the trip. Could any of you recommend a dealer in the D.C. metro area? I had a great experience at CarMax (VA) for my first oil change, but it's just soo far. Let me know if you know of any other good dealers in the D.C. metro area.
Thanks for your help!!
We'll keep you posted.
I just test drove the Galant today along with the focus and the Sentra SE. I found the Galant to have the best ride. I also test drove the honda Accord. I just found the Accord to be a little boring and it seems like every other car in the street is a Accord. I am just a little worried after reading all the transmission problems people have been having with the Galant. I noticed most of them were with later models. I really hope I don't make a mistake. Even though I also read alot from people that are very happy, so I hope I make the right choice. I just would hate to get into a new car and have any kind of problems. Any Advice?
I liked the way it accelerates after when I stepped on the gas pedal.
I think it has enough power for passing or merging into freeway and is like having a V6 (e.g. v6 170hp) under the hood. Not bad for a 4cyl.
Handling is good and no steering wheel vibration felt at 70-80 mph.
Interior is nice and simple with the controls practically placed where they should be.
One fault I found which I want to attest to myself after reading one of the post is regarding the dome lamp/courtesy lamp on which it fell off after switching it on and off a couple of times.
Mitsubishi should have secured it with a screw or anything to keep it off from falling.
Anything else aside from minor faults and manufacturer's recalls, I think galant is a promising car that is capable keeping up with the rest of other imports.
I had a '89 toyota with 180,000+ miles still running good and no major problems in the past and present involving transmissions or the engine.
This would be my first mitsubishi car and I hope it will last beyond 100,000 miles if I do go for it.
The dealer (N.CA,bay-area) went down from $13988.00 + fees to $12500.00 + fees. I told him I'll call him back 'cause I'm still shopping around. Off to the next mitsu........
-Also good idea is to try autobytel or 1 or 2 of those things to have an idea.
Autobytel Dealer - $750 over invoice = @23127
AutoTree Dealer - $23689
CarsDirect - $23687
Still can't decide though. Even though you get 1.9% financing, the value of the Mitsu after 5 years is about $2300 less than an Accord V6, and insurance is more on the GTZ. Any opinions...
Here's why -
new transmission at 63,000 miles,
new transmission again at 101,000 miles
new rack and pinion at ~80,000 miles
sqeaky belts, especially in cold weather (no adjustment gets rid of this)
brakes are terrible - the rotors warp almost immediately under normal usage
Mistubishi customer service is rude and inflexible
In summary this car has cost me an arm and a leg to maintain and it is still worth less than the amount of principle left on the car loan (I wonder why??). I just wouldn't want anybody else to throw away as much money as I have.
The car looks great though, and if you test drive it, you'll think it's a pretty good ride. If you're like me though, you're concerned mainly with 2 things:
1) Reliability, especially beyond 50,000 miles
2) resale value
(these 2 are usually compliments of each other)
The Galant fails miserably on these two metrics.
Don't be fooled by good looks (in this case, at least). Look under the hood, so to speak.
Also, the sun roof leaks all over the front passenger in heavy rain.
Let me know if you still think this car is worth buying...
DRobinson, what upgrade has been made to the transmission? And as far as reliability - I would hope and expect that the 99 models of any car have a higher reliability index than any 95 car - there's a 4 year age difference there! Once again, when my Galant was 2 years old (in 97), I had no complaints. In 1998, all hell broke loose as the aforementioned repairs cost me many thousands of dollars.
Since 1995 there were some cosmetic redesigns and a larger engine available, but it is evident to me from close family members and friends who own newer Galants that poor quality still characterizes the Galant, as evidenced by high maintainability costs (rotor warpage, etc).
...and just yesterday I read about Mitsubishi's over 900,000 car recall which includes the Galant. I'm not surprised.
Regarding the observations by drobinson19 about brake changes and transmission changes. My Galant was a '90 model. Consider that these problems have gone on year after year. If you just consider amitsuowner's car, it is a '95 - at least five years later than mine and Mistubishi still has not addressed the problems (actually if you compare reliability ratings in Consumer Reports my '90 model was a better car). If you scroll back on this forum just a bit you will see that these problems are still present. I live in Memphis but bumped into another gentleman last weekend from Cleveland. He too owned a Gallant, a 1999 model. He too loved his car but with only 23,000 miles he has already had to replace the transmission - so much for improvements. I could put up with some of the minor imperfections, the trim and such and would even buy buy another Galant if they would just address these two long standing problems, the transmission and the brakes.
Lastly, regarding some the recent recalls. I cannot remember his exact words but even the new president of Mitsubishi, when announcing the recall, described the drive train linkage that is being recalled as flimsy or shoddy. By the way, since these same parts are used in several Chrysler products (also in the recall) several analysts blame much of Chrysler's recent decline on these unreliable parts.
I like the good looks, sleek styling but reliability in the long run is what matters most.
I looked at another used galant (private seller) it's a 1999 ES I4 AT with only 10100K miles on it. Asking price:$13000.00 firm. We talked and I explained and she came out with $11500.00 as her best offer. Ask her about the recall and she said she has not received notification from the dealer. But the carfax report said otherwise.
At 10K miles, the car temperature knob is broken would'nt stay in place. Aircon, 5-10 minutes had passed still no cold air coming out from the vent only warm air. I'm not surprised after she told me that she had the dome lamp replaced after falling off several times. I wondered what would be the next problem?
It seems to me that this is an indication of a "bad apple" and they are becoming more evident as I go looked around for a late model car, low mileage used galant.
For now I'll stick to my good old Corolla (I'm keeping this one for life)and would consider other car make/model. Off to the next......toyota? honda? or nissan?
Just wondering if I wanted to write a letter to Mitsubishi who and where would I address it to.
Curious if any cops are available regarding recalls. My 99ES has 13707 miles on it and no major problems except minor adjustments. So far very happy and I hope it stays that way. I know people on this site have had problems but unfortunetly hats the way it goes and all cars made are not problem free. Just hope the service kept. is complying. My service kept. in Manhattans west side is 100% on the ball. They listen and are extremely friendly and are helpful in every way. Thanks
Don't take me wonge I love Mitsubishi cars, I had good experience in the past with the Galant, eclips and 3000GT, but none had this problem. I still love my car, but this problem is just flat out costing me a lot of money with no results. I'm just frustrated. So if any one else had this problem and was able to fix it, please share it with us.
regards
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recmmy1.cfm
I purchased my 2001 GTZ back in September, I was the first one sold on the lot, he he. The fact that all the salesman were envious is nothing, I love this car. I have 7700 miles on it, and yes I have had a few problems but South Park Mitsu was eager to fix them for me with no hassles. Just minor things, nothing worth throwing the car out for. Any car is going to have problems, read the Toyota posts, I found their sales people rude, which is weird because they are selling such a plain car. My car looks good, I had every option added, and I would NEVER trade it for a plain Camery or Accord, save those for my grandfather. People notice me on the road, not the plain Camery that everybody and their mother is driving, I would recommend it. Also I would recommend that Toyota hire a few designers with style. Go buy one. NOW !!!